Lollapalooza 2011's $800K mud pit

A field where Lollapalooza took place in Grant Park in Chicago on Tuesday, August 9, 2011.

José M. Osorio

José M. Osorio

By Katie Karpowicz, for RedEye

Remember how fun that muddy dance party was on the last day of Lollapalooza? Remember how much damage it did to Grant Park? Following the 2011 fest, reports started to circulate that the rainy mess had led to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to the park and that Lolla’s producers, Austin, Texas-based C3 Presents, were on the line for it.

According to the Chicago Parks Department’s assistant press secretary Marta Juaniza, the repairs were completed within six weeks of the festival and totaled a hefty $800,000.

The torrential downpour that occurred the afternoon of Sunday, August 7, 2011, the last day of the festival, and continued through the evening led to severe sod damage, Juaniza said. Thousands of pairs of feet treading over the soggy park grounds didn’t help, either.

The rain evoked park-wide muddy dance parties from festival attendees. Despite the fun scene it created, the damage wasn't hard to see by the time Lollapalooza wrapped up that night.

After waiting out the first rainstorm in a porta potty, Lollapalooza 2011 attendee Tim Fletcher remembers his experience.

"I was standing no more than 15 feet from 40 people at a time sliding, in unison with locked arms, down said hill. Some others got the idea to strip down to underwear, stack up garbage cans and become human bowling balls," he said in an email to RedEye. "While funny for a bit, it eventually turned aggravating, and they kept at it during the band's set. Not to mention the hill was ripped to shreds and garbage was all over the place."

Lollapalooza will take place in Grant Park again this year, Aug. 3-5. For the full lineup, click here.

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